A New Beginning or Maybe Not
by Ashley218
Summary: When Shelby sees Rachel for the first time in 16 years, she is determined to seek her out.But what she doesn't realize is that connecting with the one person she thought about every single day, can also bring some of the most painful moments in her life.
1. Chapter 1

Shelby swiftly made her way through the crowd-filled lobby and back into the auditorium. She was on her annual scope-out-the-competition outing, though she never found good enough competition to beat Vocal Adrenaline. She arrived back at her seat to catch the ending of Imagine by the school for deaf kids. She honestly had no idea why they were even allowed to enter the competition. But here they were.

The song finally ended and Shelby was beginning to get bored but there was only one more group left to perform so she figured so could wait.

"And now, the final competitor, the McKinley High School Glee Club: New Directions."

Shelby couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at the name.

As soon as Shelby heard the beginning notes to Don't Rain On My Parade, she let out a sigh. Every time someone tried to sing a Barbra Streisand song it almost always ended poorly. It was impossible for the audience, as well as the judges to not think of Barbra's unforgettable performance. Everyone would immediately start comparing the unfortunate student to the legend.

When the spotlight moved to the back of the room, Shelby turned to look at the girl who started singing.

Shelby froze.

As she stared at the girl moving up and down the isle, she knew she was unmistaken. It was a younger version of herself. Her gorgeous brown eyes matched those of the baby she had given up all those years before. Sixteen years.

Once, the girl glanced at Shelby and she felt her heart stop. She felt like she had sought her out and was looking at her forever. But in reality, she only made contact with Shelby's eyes for a brief second. The girl was clearly focused on her performance, making sure the right vocals and emotion were put into this performance. And damn, she was getting it right.

Once the girl finished the showstopper, Shelby could feel a tear forming in her eye. She was looking at her baby.

When the group finished their performance everyone in the audience, including Shelby, gave the shocked kids a standing ovation.

Even though every part of her body was yelling at her to go after the girl, she forced herself not to. What was she going to say? Besides, that horrible contract she had signed bound her from contacting her. Still, her heart ached at the fact that she was so close to her daughter but she couldn't go up to her and tell her who she was. But she was not going to wait two years to contact her, not now that she seemed to be so near. She would wait until she had a plan. She had no idea how she was going to do it. She just knew that she had to see her daughter again.

When Shelby arrived home, she immediately raced to her computer and logged into facebook. It's something she rarely does, so for a moment she stopped to remember her password. _Oh yeah, it 121894. Of course. How could she forget? Especially now._ She typed " McKinley High School Glee Club" into the search box. One page came up. _Yes! They have a facebook page._ She slowly scrolled down the list of the names of the twelve members in the group, making sure she didn't miss any names. Then she caught the name Rachel Berry. _Rachel, so that's what they named her. I knew they were huge Friends fans but I didn't think they would name their child after one of the characters. _She clicked on Rachel's name to see her profile but was stopped when the page said that her profile was private. _Good, at least she's smart enough not to let just anybody view her profile. Kinda like I'm doing right now_.

Shelby felt a wave of relief wash over her. Even though she couldn't come face to face with her, she at least knew what her own daughter's name was.

Shelby sat in her office, slumped forward in her chair, her head resting on the paper-filled desk before her. She let her long, dark brown hair cover her face. It helped to block out the light.

For they past three days Shelby got up in the morning, went to work, and went to Glee rehearsal, all of which she wasn't really there. Her mind always went back to Rachel. She thought of how she could get in touch with her, but she couldn't figure out a plan that didn't involve breaching her contract.

And so here she was, struggling to keep herself awake. The number of hours she actually got to sleep went down significantly in the last few days.

"Uh, Shelby…." A voice at the door said.

Startled, Shelby shot up from the position she was in and immediately started smoothing her hair back into their designated spots. She hadn't even heard the door open.

"Sorry. I should've knocked," said the boy.

"Jesse, what are you doing here? I'm on my planning period and you're supposed to be in class," she said sternly.

"Sorry Shelby. I didn't mean to disrupt you in whatever it is that you were doing. But I wanted to see what was wrong. You haven't been yourself lately."

"What are you talking about," she asked but she knew what he meant. She had been moping around campus since the day she saw Rachel. If anyone would be able to see anything different in her, it would be Jesse.

"You know what I mean. You've been walking around here like you don't care anymore. Come on, what's wrong," he asked again.

Nervously, Shelby bit her bottom lip._ Should I tell him? He's really the only person I can talk to. That's sad but it's true._ She wrestled with the idea for some time. But she had to tell someone because the unusual emotions she was feeling were welling up inside of her and she felt like she was going to burst.

Shelby stared at Jesse for a while but he didn't say anything because he knew she was gathering her thoughts. Finally, after a few moments, everything came spilling out. Her need to be on Broadway, her greedy reach for money, how she practically signed her baby's life away, and what happened just a few days before.

When she finally finished her long and painful story she looked up to find Jesse, staring at her with wide eyes. She had told him everything; she just hoped she wouldn't regret it.


	2. Chapter 2

Hi! Just to let you know I planned to put an author's note on the last chapter but for some reason it wouldn't show up so here it is:

Author's Note: Hi! This is my first fanfiction story I have ever written so I hope you like it.

I have sort of planned out what will happen in the chapters to come, however I don't know how long it will be. I think I will go along with what happened in the episodes, except for Shelby adopting Beth. Just telling you now. And I am thinking of doing a sequel, (I know, I get too far ahead of myself) depending on if people actually like my stories and if I come up with ideas.

So anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. If I did, Idina would be in every episode.

Jesse sat across from his coach, wide-eyed and shocked. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. _Shelby has a daughter? A sixteen- year- old daughter? _There were so many thoughts bouncing around in his head but not one made sense.

Even though he was shocked, he acknowledged her pain. He had genuine sympathy for her. Out of the four years he had known her, only once had she shown him that she had a softer side, and she only showed him. It had been when she found out that her little sister was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. But Shelby had never shown this much of her soft side with him.

Jesse felt his stomach drop on account of Shelby's sadness. He watched as the single tear glided down her cheek. He had never seen her this broken. She was pouring her heart out to him, yet all he could do was sit there and look bewildered. He had to say something.

"What can I do," he asked eagerly, wanting his coach's pain to stop.

Shelby wiped the tear from her face with her hand and quickly composed herself. "Jesse, there's nothing you can do. I appreciate the offer but there's nothing you can do. I just needed to tell someone before I exploded." She gave him a small, but not meaningful smile.

Jesse did not return the half-heated smile, his mind still intent on ways to help.

"What if I befriend her?"

"Befriend her?"

"Yeah, yeah," Jesse said excitedly, his mind clearly moving faster than his mouth. "I could go to McKinley and become friends with her. That way, I can find out if she wants to meet you."

Shelby thought about this. If she said yes, she would feel horrible about asking Jesse to transfer schools for a length of time in which they were both uncertain about, just to help her personal problems. But that selfish feeling, the one down in the pit of her stomach, the one that she has felt everyday for sixteen years overpowered her guilt for Jesse.

"Fine, you can do it. But if she ever does ask about me, you can't tell her who I am. Just tell me if that happens and we'll figure out something from there," she told him.

Jesse noticed the "we" Shelby had used and gave her a big smile, not show face level, but big.

"Ok, Shelby. And I promise I'll do everything I can to help you meet your daughter."

She gave him a genuine smile, something that no other student and rarely any other person got the privilege of seeing. It was a shame because when she smiled she lit up a room.

"Thanks Jesse. I really do appreciate this so much. Now you need to get back to class."

She wrote him a pass to class and knew that no teacher would question what he was doing. No one messes with Miss Corcoran. All the teachers assumed that if you were called to her office when she didn't have class, you were very, very low on her bad side. Therefore no teacher wanted to further embarrass the student by asking them why they were called to Miss Corcoran's office on her free time.

As Jesse slipped out of Shelby's office, he thought about how he was going to get close to Rachel. Whatever he did, he knew he had to get it right, for Shelby.

Even though he mostly saw the cold, ruthless side of Coach Corcoran, he knew that she cared for him. She had argued with his parents about the importance of him being in Vocal Adrenaline because she knew he was far too talented to be wasting his time anywhere else. She had even pulled a couple of strings to lower his cost of staying in the group because his parents were not going to pay an outrageous price for something they thought was useless.

They were drawn together because they were so alike. He was an aspiring performer, something that Shelby always wanted to be. They both had parents who thought the arts were a waste of time. But after Shelby's dreams of making it on Broadway had failed, she was determined to help Jesse, her star, achieve his dreams. She didn't want him to end up like her.

Over the next couple of weeks Jesse had managed to get close to Rachel, more than close. They both felt feelings for each other and decided to be a couple, much to everyone in the Glee club's dislike. Although Jesse was afraid to admit it at first, even to himself, most of the feelings he had for Rachel were not part of the plan.

After Jesse came back from spring break, he decided to push Rachel a little harder.

"When you lie awake at night, what's missing?"

Rachel thought for a few moments. _What's the one thing I have longed for for my whole life? Besides seeing my name in lights because that's a given. _"My mom," she said.

"Your mom?" Jesse asked. "You mean like you want to meet her?"

"I just would like to know who she is. I don't really need to meet her or anything but maybe just find out her name or something about her." _Although meeting her would be nice. _

Jesse was lucky he was a good actor because on the inside he was screaming: _I know who your mom is! It's Shelby, Coach Corcoran! _

"It's silly," Rachel said. "It's not like it's gonna happen or anything."

"Why?" Jesse asked.

"Well just because my dads never told me anything and I didn't want to ask them anything because I didn't want to hurt their feelings," Rachel explained.

Jesse walked in front of Rachel, forcing her to stop where she was. "Let's check it out without them knowing. Do you know why I came back to school here? To win another national title and make all your dreams come true. If this is one of them, then I'm not going to stop until it happens."

For the next couple of hours Jesse spent his time in the school library with Rachel who was scouring books and the internet endlessly in hopes of locating her mother. Jesse didn't do a whole lot of searching though because he hadn't talked to Shelby about what Rachel said yet and he wasn't sure what she wanted him to do.

Jesse was surprised when Rachel came up to him saying she found her. He looked around to make sure Shelby wasn't there. _Surely Shelby wouldn't follow them to the library. She had a contract. _He was relieved when he didn't see Shelby standing there.

Rachel then proceeded to tell him her crazy inquiry that proved her mother was Patti Lupone or Bernadette Peters. He tried to hide the reaction on his face but had no such luck. It really was an inane idea. After Jesse asked her some logical questions to lead her away from the fact that her mom was a Broadway star, Rachel gave in. But he understood her reasons. He had heard what happened to Quinn and got the fact that Rachel didn't want her mom to be like that. Although he knew she wasn't.

"Why does it have to be one of those choices? Maybe she had a really good reason for doing what she did," he said. He then proposed the idea of carrying out a real investigation. When Rachel mentioned the "museum" inside her basement, he knew it was perfect.

After Jesse drove Rachel home, he headed back to Carmel High, where he knew he could find Shelby in her office. He met with her every three days to update on what was going on in the, Mission: Contact-Rachel-Without-Breaching-the-Contract. However, there was little to update on and he was definitely not going to tell her that his relationship with Rachel had grown to the point that they almost had sex. Not unless he wanted his ass handed to him on a platter. So there was never really anything to talk about. But this time Jesse had some new, exciting news for Shelby.

Jesse reached Shelby's office and knocked on her door four times before he heard the words, "Come in."

"She wants to meet you!" Jesse exclaimed before she could even say hi, and practically breaking down the door in the process.

"What?" Shelby raised her eyebrows at him disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Shelby, I couldn't be any more serious. I, of course, didn't tell her who you were but I couldn't wait to come here and tell you what she said," Jesse said excitedly. He stared at her for a couple seconds before talking again when she didn't respond. "So what are you going to do?"

Shelby sat at her desk, motionless, her eyes focused on the wall. She was too shocked to respond to Jesse's words. She couldn't believe it. Her baby wanted to meet her.

"Shelby," Jesse waved his hand in front of Shelby's face and she snapped out of her trance.

"What?"

"What are you going to do now?"

_Oh crap. What's the next part of my plan? _She hadn't even thought that far. Honestly, she didn't think Rachel would even want to see her. Depending on what Rachel's fathers told her, she figured she would hold some resentment towards her.

Shelby sighed. "I have no idea Jesse."

Jesse took this as his opportunity to tell her what else happened that day.

As soon as Jesse mentioned the mock investigation he and Rachel were planning for tomorrow, something clicked in Shelby's brain.

"Um, Jesse," she said, cutting him off, "can you come by here early tomorrow morning. I want you to pick up something to give to Rachel," Shelby said.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be here around 6:30."

"Good. Now don't be late," she said in a stern voice accompanied with a fake glare that let him know she was joking.

When Shelby got home, she knew exactly what she was going to give Rachel. She was going to use her voice, something that was precious to both of them, to help her daughter track her down, by taping herself while she sang. She picked the song, I Dreamed a Dream because it seemed fitting at the moment. In the lyrics she changed 'he'll' in "And still I dream he'll come to me" to 'she'll'. She knew Rachel would catch that lyric change.

Shelby didn't know what she was going to say at the beginning of the tape but decided not to plan it out, otherwise it would come off as corny.

"Hi baby. It's your mom. I think this pretty much says it all."

Throughout the song, Shelby put as much emotion as possible into it. This was easy though because she truly meant the words she was singing. It was like Rachel was standing right in front of her and she was singing to her. By the end, she ached; her body, her heart. She desperately wanted Rachel to be there. She wanted to scoop her up and tell her how sorry she was for not being there for her all those years.

After Shelby turned off her tape recorder she sat on her couch, as the ground was beginning to shift under her feet. It was only a few seconds before the tears welling up in her eyes led to full-force sobbing.

Shelby, still crying, made her way to her bedroom. She changed out of her work clothes and into her tattered nightshirt. That night, she cried herself to sleep, all the while dreaming of Rachel and what it was going to be like when she finally met her daughter.

So I hope you guys liked this chapter. And it might seem like I'm slowly dragging this story along but I feel it's important to build the character.

The next chapter is supposed to be set during Theatricality, however I have no idea when I will post the next chapter. But I will try to post it as soon as possible.

And reviews would be awesome! I don't mind if they're good or bad. Either way is cool 


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Hi everyone! So this is the third chapter in this series. Sorry for the slow update. I had to complete a geography project that practically took up all the time I had. But anyway, enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee

Glee

Success

Jesse walked out of Rachel's room feeling extremely accomplished. Even though Rachel said she wasn't ready to hear the tape, he decided to play it for her anyway. He knew she wanted desperately wanted to listen to it. She was just afraid of what was on it. Besides, he couldn't watch Shelby sulk around all day, everyday, anymore.

Glee

Rachel's heart was beating a million times a minute. _What's wrong with Jesse? I told him I wasn't ready. _The tape started to play I Dreamed a Dream and then she heard the cool words of what she could only guess were her mother's. She heard her call her "baby", words that she longed to hear from her for sixteen years.

When the woman started singing, Rachel was shocked. She was much better than her but she didn't care. It was her mom. Her voice radiated emotion. Rachel felt as if the woman singing on the tape were standing right in front of her, the exact effect Shelby hoped for.

Rachel wished her mother were there. She wished she could run into her arms and tell her how much she loved her, even though they had never met. As the song ended, a small tear glided down Rachel's cheek. She had heard her mother's voice and she already knew that she _had _to find her. But she would wait until after Regional's. She couldn't risk the drama that might arise from locating her mom and how it would affect her performance. For the sake of her team, she resisted the pull in her stomach that allowed her to really search for her mom.

Glee

As the three girls furtively made their way to the back of Carmel High Auditorium, Rachel reassured her accomplices that stealing their rival team's ideas was not a crime. After learning that Vocal Adrenaline was performing Lady Gaga songs, the temptation of seeing what they were up to was just too high to stand.

When Quinn, Mercedes, and Rachel sat down they saw Vocal Adrenaline performing Gaga-esque moves and their coach was calling out the counts. Rachel felt slightly relieved because the routine was not all that great. Also not satisfied with the students, the coach stopped them.

"Ok, ok, enough. Just stop. You guys aren't getting it. You're letting the costumes do all the work. Theatricality isn't about crazy outfits! It's not enough to douse yourself with gasoline. You have to light yourself on fire to make it work!"

"God, she's good," Rachel said.

"But being theatrical doesn't mean you have to be a nuclear explosion. It can be like, like a quiet storm. You just have to radiate emotion. Express what's deep inside you. That's what theatricality is truly about."

The three girls were shocked. Mr. Schue never gave them speeches like that. He mostly told them that they were great no matter what. _No wonder they were National champions, _Rachel thought.

"Do I have to demonstrate?" Her kids were clearly not getting the message. "Funny Girl. E flat," Shelby said as she shooed the students off the stage.

"Exactly what I would have done. Barbra, I could do it in my sleep," Rachel said.

Shelby stood in front of the mirror, preparing herself for her performance. She had to get her kids to understand what she meant about being theatrical.

As the woman started to sing, Rachel froze. _Oh my god. _Something clicked in Rachel's mind.

Rachel stood up and started to make her way to the stage. She heard Mercedes and Quinn tell her to come back but ignored them. She felt as if she had no choice but to go up to the woman she knew was her mom, like her body was forcing her to keep going.

Shelby didn't notice Rachel walking up the isle, as she was too focused on being theatrical throughout her song.

"_How it ain't so funny. Funny girl."_ As Shelby sang the last words of the song, she felt accomplished. She thought her students would surely understand her point now.

"Miss Corcoran," a voice said.

Shelby turned to see a girl standing by the edge of the stage, the same girl she saw at Sectionals. The girl with the big, brown doe eyes and the waterfall of brown hair. All she could do was stand there and stare at the girl.

"I'm Rachel Berry. I'm your daughter," Rachel said, shocked that she just used those words.

Shelby heard the gasps and whispers coming from her students. She never imagined that when she met her daughter for the first time she would have an audience. Immediately she looked at her students and told them to leave. If the situation were different, she would have used a much more stern tone with them, however she didn't want to do or say anything that might send Rachel running.

"Practice is over for today. Go home but be back here by 2:30 tomorrow. On time."

Out of the corner of her eye, Shelby saw Rachel back away. _She can't be leaving, can she? _

In a desperate attempt to make Rachel stay, Shelby said frantically, "Wait there. I'm coming down.

Glee

Shelby and Rachel silently sat in the auditorium seats, Shelby sitting a couple of rows behind her daughter, for a few minutes as they tried to take in the situation.

Shelby wanted so much to sit next to her daughter. She wanted to just stare at her beautiful face, as if she would be able to soak up everything that she had missed in Rachel's life. But she knew that if she were that close to her right now, she would probably break down into sobs and want to hold her in her arms forever. She knew Rachel wasn't ready for that yet.

Rachel sat in silence, her gaze fixated on the carpeted floor. The hundreds of questions she conjured up were bubbling around in her brain. _What's she like? Does she have a dog? What's her favorite color…Did she ever think of me? _She was sure she was going to go insane if she didn't speak so she uttered the first question that went from her brain to a comprehenable sentence.

"Did you ever regret it?" Rachel asked. _God, why did you ask a question like that first? Why can't I ever beat around the bush a little?_

Shelby thought for a moment. There were times when all she thought of was her baby. She wouldn't get out of bed and sulked around wherever, if anywhere, she went. It was when she started to run low on money when she tried to push all thoughts of her baby out of her mind. She really had to get back into the world and start auditioning for shows. After all, that was the reason she agreed to be a surrogate in the first place. She convinced herself that it was a good decision to give up her baby. After all, the Berry's were two smart, loving people who would be able to accommodate all of the girl's needs in a good environment, something that Shelby wouldn't be able to give her daughter at the time. But every audition got worse and worse. She wasn't able to commit to the characters; she lacked the passion she once possessed. When the money ran out and Shelby was forced to return to Lima, the regret came full force at her. In the first few weeks after she'd come home, she grew terribly sick. She went to the doctor and found that she had a curable cancerous condition. After some painful surgeries, the doctors were happy that she was free of the tumors but also had to tell her the bad news. She no longer possessed the ability to bear children. Shelby was devastated by this information. She began to slide into a deep depression. Not making it on Broadway was failure enough but now, after she had given her only little girl away, she was unable to have any more children. And the worst part was that she couldn't contact her daughter until she was eighteen.

"Yes, then no, then so much," Shelby said as she revisited painful memories of her past.

"When did you realize it was the right time for me to find you?"

"I saw you sing at Sectionals. You were extraordinary. You were me," Shelby said while smiling, happy to revisit a more pleasant memory.

"Was it hard for you to not become a star? Not have your dreams come true?"

"It felt like a broken promise. Like the Fisher King's wound, never heals," Shelby replied.

_Wow, my mother is as theatrical as I am. _Now she knew that there was no doubt this was her mom. When Rachel heard her mom say that she missed so much, she was confused. _Does she mean that she missed her chance at fame or she missed her life with me?_

Shelby noticed that she hadn't asked any questions.

"How do you feel?" She asked Rachel as she leaned forward.

After Shelby listened to Rachel explain her story about how her dads would bring her water when she was sad and how it had gotten to the point where she couldn't tell if she was sad or just thirsty, she knew it wasn't right. She had already missed out on too much of her daughter's life and she wasn't going to get it back.

"Uh, I shouldn't have done this. This was supposed to feel good. We were supposed to have some kind of slow motion, run into each other's arms. This is all wrong."

Maybe we can go out to dinner just to get over the initial shock, "Rachel proposed desperately.

"I'm so sorry Rachel," Shelby said but she could see in Rachel's eyes that she didn't want it to end like this. "I'll call you," she said.

Rachel stared at her in shock. _Of course she's not gonna call me. She just told me that this is all wrong. And she didn't even ask for my number._

Shelby turned and quickly made her way to the auditorium doors as a tear slid down her cheek. She could feel Rachel's disbelieving eyes still on her. She felt horrible. She had parted from her daughter for a second time but this time it was from her own doing.

Glee

For the whole way home, Shelby drove in silence. The radio remained off and her eyes were glues to the road. She turned over Rachel's words again and again. _"When I was little and I would get sad, my dads would bring me a glass of water. It got so I couldn't tell if I was sad or just thirsty." What was I thinking, trying to contact her? I can't compete with anything that her dads have done. She's grown up to be a mature, young lady under their care. If I try to jump in now I'd just mess up everything. Fuck. Why am I such a screw up?_

When Shelby arrived home she tore off her jacket and shoes and ran upstairs to her bedroom. Sliding into bed, she pulled the covers up over her head. She was slipping into child mode, like everything was going to be okay because she was "protected". After only a few minutes, she started to sob. All of the day's shit hit her at full force. She finally stopped crying after what seemed like an eternity. She couldn't manage to scrape up a few more tears even if she wanted to. They were all gone.

Glee

During Rachel's long walk home, she remembered what her mother had said. Well she hadn't said so much; it was mostly Rachel doing the talking. But she remembered how beautiful she was. She looked like an older version of herself. She remembered how theatrical she was, both on stage and when the sat together in the auditorium seats. She walked home, crying silent tears; she didn't want to make a scene.

Suddenly she noticed Jesse pull up in his car next to her. Seeing her distress, he flew out of the car and was by her side in an instant. He put his arm around her.

"What's wrong Rachel?" He asked.

Rachel turned and looked into his eyes. She really just wanted to be alone but she didn't want to bottle this up.

"I found my mom."

Jesse's eyes widened.

"She was singing and I knew it was her from the moment she opened her mouth. She's so beautiful and I thought that everything was going to get better," she said. Suddenly a thought hit her. _Wait, she's the coach of Vocal Adrenaline and he was the star of Vocal Adrenaline. Did he know? _She thought about asking him about it but figured she could do it later, when she wasn't in the state of mental breakdown.

"Anyway, she said that us meeting was all wrong and she practically ran out of the auditorium."

"Maybe she's just in shock. Maybe she needed sometime to think about it."

Suddenly Rachel's sadness turned into rage as she tore out of Jesse's grasp.

"This is not shock, Jesse! This is why I didn't want you to play the tape! I was afraid of rejection and now I got it. She doesn't want me. No one ever wants me." She said the last sentence in a quieter tone.

Jesse moved closer to Rachel to try to comfort her but she backed away.

"Just, just go away," she said as she started running in the direction of her house.

Jesse stood in the middle of the sidewalk, dumbfounded.

Glee

Once Rachel reached her house, she was relieved. But when she the cars of both of her dads in the driveway, the relief soon faded. She didn't want to tell her dads what happened just yet. Even she hadn't processed it fully. For half an hour she sat outside her house, trying to calm herself down. Before she went inside she checked her make up one more time in the side view mirror of one of the cars to make sure all the tearstains were gone.

Upon entering her house, Rachel was greeted by both of her dads, Hiram and Leroy.

"Hey honey. Why are you home so late?"

"Oh, a glee rehearsal was scheduled last minute. Sorry I didn't text or call you. I'll remember to do it next time."

"It's okay."

"Um, do you mind if I go take a nap right now? The new glee number is exhausting."

"Sure sweetie. But don't nap for too long or you won't be able so sleep tonight."

With that, Rachel climbed up the stairs, skipping two at a time. When she reached her room she shut the door behind her. She walked over to her radio. Realizing she was playing with fire, she decided to play the tape of her mother singing anyway. She just had to hear her voice again.

Glee

So I hope you guys liked this chapter. I hope to have the next chapter up fairly soon, seeing as how I already have it written. The only thing is accessing a computer to type it on. And it would really mean a lot to me if you guys would review. I love hearing what you have to say. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, or any ideas you have for future chapters. : )


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Hi guys! This is fourth chapter in the series. This one is a little shorter but I feel like I kept you guys waiting for a long time with the last chapter. So enjoy!

Glee

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

Shelby was awakened from her sleep abruptly and unpleasantly. The sound of her alarm clock blared into her ears. With her eyes half open, she glanced to look at the clock. It read 5:30.

"Shit," she said slowly before rolling over to groan into her pillow.

She was highly annoyed that she had to get up and go to school. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with some ungrateful teenagers who were in serious need of an attitude adjustment. The members of Vocal Adrenaline knew they couldn't mess with her, nor would they want to. Even though she was tough on them, they respected her. Without her, they would be nowhere. Her normal music students, although they had seen her angry side, had no idea just how angry she could get. But she saw no point in reaching that level of furiousness with kids who are going to forget everything she said as soon as they walk out of her classroom. Mind you, not all of her music students are unappreciative. There are some who actually want to learn about music and who don't have an attitude all the time. For them, she puts as much effort into helping them as possible. But for the others, she was not going to waste her time on them. And certainly not today.

Shelby dragged herself out of bed and downstairs to make herself her morning coffee. While she waited for her coffee to be ready she went back upstairs to get dresses, do her hair, and put on a light layer of makeup. After she finished getting ready she grabbed her cup of coffee and headed out the door, not entirely ready to face the day.

Glee

Jesse arrived at Carmel High early this Monday morning. He wanted to make sure he had enough time to try to find out what happened between Shelby and Rachel on Friday. When he came to her office he knocked four times before he heard her soft "come in". She sounded tired.

He slowly opened the door to find Shelby writing her lesson plans for the day. She looked exhausted. He cam in and sat in one of the chairs in front of her desk.

"So um, Shelby. How was your weekend?" He asked, trying to ease into the conversation.

She lifted her head to look at him.

"Honestly, Jesse. It kinda sucked. I sat around and did nothing but think up routines for Vocal Adrenaline, which I guess is good for you guys. And I got little to no sleep." Shelby looked back down at her desk and sighed. "I guess I just had a lot on my mind."

Jesse stared at her. He what she meant when she said she had a lot on her mind. She was thinking of Rachel.

"So,"

"Rachel found me," Shelby said, cutting him off. "She found me and we talked and I, um…I told her it wasn't all wrong. I know I shouldn't have. I know. But she told me this story and I realized that I'm too late."

"Too late?"

"I've realized that I've missed too much of her life and to just jump in now would be selfish of me and mess everything up."

"Shelby, Rachel's sixteen and she's lived her whole life without a mother. She needs you."

"She's lived her whole life without me and that didn't stop her from living a happy life."

"You're right. She's had a good life so far. But she couldn't let the fact that she didn't have a mom stop her from going through daily life. She,"

"Jesse, can you stop," Shelby said in a way that was not a question.

By this time, Jesse could see the tears pooling in the corners Shelby's eyes. He debated in his head whether or not he should tell her that he saw her on Friday.

"I, uh, saw Rachel on Friday," Jesse said.

Shelby's eyes shot up to Jesse's, desperate for him to continue with his story.

"I was driving to Andrea's house and I saw Rachel walking home. She was crying. I went up to her to see what was wrong and she told me that she met you but it wasn't going to work," Jesse said.

Shelby stared at Jesse expectantly to see if he was done with his story. He wasn't. Jesse said the next part with caution: he was unsure as to how Shelby would react.

"She told me that this is the reason why she didn't want me to play the tape. She was afraid of rejection. She got really upset and ran off."

Shelby furrowed her brow and Jesse could see that she was struggling to keep in her tears.

"I'm sorry Shelby. I just thought you should know."

"Uh, its okay Jesse. Thanks for informing me," Shelby said, her voice shaky. "Just, can you leave now?"

"Sure. If you need anymore help, I'm here."

Shelby gave him a sad smile and watched him walk out the door.

"God," she said while holding her head in her hands. "I'm screwing up her life."

She let her tears flow for six minutes but no more than that. She wasn't used to the feeling of crying every two minutes and drowning in self pity and she didn't like it.

Glee

"Ugh!"

Rachel's voice, filled with frustration, carried across her house. Her attempt at creating an outfit for the Lady Gaga glee number was failing miserably. She had chosen the Kermit the Frog look and her beanie babies were falling off left and right. She had already tried to have her dads help but they weren't really good at this kind of stuff. They had used staples to try and fasten the beanie babies to her dress, but that obviously didn't work, as demonstrated during glee practice.

Rachel was at a loss for what to do. Her costume was a complete fail. She had already gone to her fathers and it wasn't like she had any friends she could go to help. Then a thought entered her mind. _Should I ask Shelby for help?_ She was hesitant to go to Shelby considering the previous week's events but she really didn't have anyone else to turn to.

Glee

"And ladies, I don't want to hear any complaints because you're being forced to wear metal underwear. Not my problem."

Shelby slid the microphone forward and jotted down some notes about Vocal Adrenaline's improvement. _Thank God, they are getting so much better. _

"Mom," Rachel's tiny voice said.

Shelby's heart did a back flip at that name. _She called me 'mom'._ She looked up to see her daughter dressed in a faded blue cloak that resembled Red Riding Hood's _Oh Lord, what is she wearing?_

"Hon, you've gotta stop sneaking into these rehearsals." Shelby was surprised at the use of the term.

She called me 'hon'.

"It's kind of important," Rachel said before unbuttoning her cloak to reveal her failed Lady Gaga costume.

"Oh dear god," Shelby said while leaning back in her chair.

"My dads can't sew, so these are just sewn on. I really need a mom right now."

Shelby looked from her daughter's face to her hideous outfit. She knew she couldn't turn her down. Immediately she started brainstorming ideas of what would look good on Rachel. _Definitely black._

Glee

Four hours later and several needle pokes later, Rachel's costume was finally done. Rachel was amazed at her mom's ability to sew. While Shelby was making it, Rachel watched her stitch intricate designs in the fabric. _If she quit her job as coach of Vocal Adrenaline, she could probably live pretty decently as a seamstress. _

During the four hours, Shelby and Rachel had settled into easy conversation. It was mostly questions like, "How was school?" and, "What's your favorite Broadway show?" Although neither of them had discussed it, they both decided not to go into anything deep. They really weren't really in the mood to cry again.

"So I guess we're done here. I hope you like it," Shelby said to Rachel.

"Oh, I love it! Thank you so much Shelby."

Shelby smiled.

"No problem. So do you need a ride home?"

"Um, actually, if you wouldn't mind? I would usually just walk home but its so hot out. Besides, I didn't appreciate the stares I got on my way over here," Rachel said.

"Of course I don't mind. You just have to point me in the right direction."

Shelby was careful not to mention that she really did know where Rachel lived. She didn't want her to think she was some creeper who memorized her address and the directions to get there.

During the ride home, Shelby and Rachel were silent. Only the sound of the radio filled the car.

When Shelby pulled up to Rachel's house, they both sat there for a moment, not wanting to leave each other.

Rachel was the one to break the silence.

"Ok, well I guess I'll go now. And thank you again for the costume," Rachel said.

"Like I said, I really was no problem."

Although unsure as to how she would react, Rachel went for it anyway. She leaned towards her mom and put her arms around her. She felt Shelby's body become stiff but only briefly and she too wrapped her arms around the girl. Rachel made sure to engrave the memory into her mind. She took in the scent of her mother's lavender perfume. She couldn't help but notice the grip Shelby had on her and felt like she really did want her. _Maybe she really was just shocked yesterday._

When the embrace ended, Rachel quickly got out of the car and started to make her way towards her house. Despite how she actually felt, she plastered a smile on her face and turned to see her mother watching her. She waved at her and it was quickly returned.

Shelby waited until she saw Rachel enter her house before she left. She couldn't help but feel slightly good. Her daughter had come to her for help.

Glee

**So I hope you guys liked it. So I have a question, do you guys want me to do the scene where Shelby and Rachel sing Poker Face or do you want me start deviating soon? I can do both but if I do the Poker Face scene it will take longer. I have something in mind but I'm no entirely sure how to get there. So please let me know what you want to read. And remember, reviews are not only welcome, they are preferred. : )**


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Note: So this is the fifth chapter in the series. And I hope you don't hate me for writing this. I don't want to spoil anything so enjoy!

Glee

Shelby spent the next few days trying to avoid any public place, any place that Rachel might be, except for Carmel High of course. Despite helping Rachel with her Glee costume, she couldn't help but feel like she was just barging in on her life. She felt as if she was being selfish and didn't want Rachel to be affected because she wanted what she gave up sixteen years ago. However, she would procrastinate on having the painful talk with Rachel for as long as she could.

Glee

Rachel spent the next few days going into every public place she could think of. Most recently, to the popular grocery store, the library, and the local park. Rachel now found herself in the show tunes section of the music store. She thought that if she did see her mom, this was the perfect place to be. It would be easy to break the ice because music, let alone Broadway songs, was something they both had a passion for.

But Shelby was nowhere to be found. Again.

Glee

The next thing Shelby knew, she was sitting opposite from Will in his dull-colored office. Judging from the look on his face, this meeting was not going to end in another make out session. The two adults stared at each other for several moments, unsure as how to start the conversation. Desperate to end the awkward silence, Shelby started to speak.

"I know why you called. And don't worry about it. My reconnection with Rachel's not some kind of plot to mess with you guys before Regionals," Shelby said. _We wouldn't have to do that anyway. _

"I'm not worried about Regionals," Will said while shaking his head. "It's Rachel. She's special. She's got all of the best of you. She's strong willed, dramatic, wildly talented."

Shelby smiled. She guessed Rachel's personality would be like her own, based on her previous meetings. But to hear someone who actually knew her confirming her guesses made it all the more better. And at the same time it hurt. She was her mother and she was supposed to be the one who knew everything about her.

"Go on," Shelby said.

"But she's not hard like you," Will shot back.

Will saw how quickly Shelby's smile fell and grasped for more words to make her understand.

"She's fragile, over emotional, and she's clearly convinced herself that you are as committed to this reunion as she is," Will said, remembering how Rachel's face lit up when she told the Glee club that her mom made her new Lady Gaga costume. "And I don't think you are. You're not prepared to have a teenage daughter. Are you?"

Shelby looked from Will, to her hands, and then back to Will's questioning eyes. She was going to have to dig back into her painful memories; memories that had only recently begun to resurface and she couldn't find a way to force them back down.

"I can't have anymore kids. There were issues a few years back, then some surgeries, and that's that. I really wanted a daughter. That's why it was so important to me to make that bond with her. But you're right. I wanted my baby back. Rachel's an adult now. She doesn't need me."

Shelby wasn't sure why she was having this deep conversation with a guy who only knew her name and that she was coach of Vocal Adrenaline. The only closeness they had shared before was when their hormones were raging like teenagers and they made out on Will's couch. They had done it because they felt the need for human contact; Will because since his split with Terri, he hadn't kissed anyone in what seemed like ages, and Shelby because she had just been lonely for too long. For whatever reason, she felt like she could trust him.

"Shelby, I can't tell you what to do, but if you really love Rachel, you have to tell her what you just told me."

Shelby stared at him for a few moments, letting the idea of what she had to do sink in.

Glee

As Rachel sat in her second block class, she tapped her foot to the beat of her favorite song. She usually paid more than enough attention in class: taking extensive notes and listening to every word that the teacher spoke. But this was not the case when it came to geography. It wasn't that she thought it wasn't useful. It just made her go bored out of her mind.

"Therefore, the continents are now separated across the globe," Mr. Barber said.

_As if I didn't already know that. I learned that in sixth grade._

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

_Finally._

Rachel practically jumped out of her seat as soon as the bell rang for class to end. After packing up her books, she made a speedy exit out of the classroom.

_I think I'll try defying gravity. Kiss me good-bye, I'm defying gravity and-_

Rachel glanced down at her phone and didn't recognize the number that was calling her. She quickly answered the call, curious to know who was trying to get in touch with her while she was at school.

"Hello?" Rachel asked.

"Hi Rachel. It's Shelby."

Rachel hoped the tiny gasp she let out when she heard her mother's voice wasn't noticeable. _Why is she calling me and how did she get my number?_

"Hi Shelby. Why are you calling me? I'm in school."

"I know. I'm sorry. But I figured I should wait until you were switching classes"

"Uh, ok."

"So I was wondering if I could meet with you after school today. I want to talk with you," Shelby explained.

After Rachel agreed to meet with Shelby, the two decided that they would meet at the nearest park after school ended.

Once Rachel hung up her phone, she smiled. She couldn't help but feel happy because she was going to get to spend more time with her mother. This was, however, the exact opposite of how Shelby felt. She dreaded having to talk with Rachel but she hoped it would be for the best.

Glee

As the bell for school sounded through the halls of McKinley High School, Rachel was certainly not the only student anxious to escape. But she was the only one who was actually excited to see her mother. After collecting all her necessary binders and textbooks, she took no time to mull around and socialize and went straight to her car. The only thing on her mind was Shelby. She had no idea what she was in store for.

Glee

Shelby sat in her car listening to the sounds of children screaming joyfully on the playground that seeped through her car doors. She wished so much that she had gotten the chance to go to the park with toddler Rachel. She wanted to watch her go down the slide and push her on the swing set and watch her face light up when she would push her higher and higher. But that chance was gone. _I have to get over that. _

Shelby was taken out of her reverie as she noticed a girl with long brown hair wearing a sweater with a poodle on it walk to a nearby bench and sit down. She knew she had to get out of the car now, no matter how badly she wanted to drive the other way.

When Shelby was standing only a few feet from Rachel she took a deep breath, bracing herself for what was to come, and took a seat next to her on the bench.

"Hi Rachel," Shelby said, taking the girl's attention away from her phone.

"Hi mom," Rachel said excitedly. She wanted to hug her but didn't want to come on too strong, so she resisted.

"So, your dads are big Friends fans. I assume that's how you got your name?" Shelby asked, trying to ease into the conversation.

Rachel let out a light laugh. "Yep. Their favorite character was Rachel."

Shelby smiled but it quickly fell as she realized that was going to have to tell Rachel sooner or later. And the sooner was coming too fast.

Rachel watched as Shelby's smile faded and her eyes drifted away from hers, gazing into nothing. She now knew that this meeting could only end one way.

Although Rachel tried to convince herself that Shelby really did want her, she couldn't stop her mind from revisiting the day they had first met. When Shelby told her that this was all wrong, then left her. She was afraid this would happen.

"Look, I know why you're here," Rachel said, wanting to beat Shelby to saying it first.

"I really wanted this to work out Rachel."

"I don't feel it either. I mean you're my mom and I should want to run into your arms and let you tell me that everything's going to be okay. But I just don't feel it," Rachel explained. This was, of course, a lie. Rachel wanted to have a relationship with her mother so bad that it hurt. But she wasn't going to beg if Shelby didn't want her. She didn't want this to turn into a pity situation.

Shelby was saddened by her daughter's words. But she knew she had no right to be disappointed with them, as she was the cause. Shelby really did want to be with Rachel but she thought that Rachel didn't need her. She was an adult in Shelby's mind. And now hearing her daughter say that she didn't feel it confirmed that she was making the right decision.

"I really wanted this to work but I just think that anything we start right now would be confusing for you."

Rachel gazed at the ant scurrying around on the bench in front of her. She didn't know how to react. Was she just supposed to say, "yeah you're right Shelby?" This would be another lie. Rachel wanted to do nothing more than go home and scream into her pillow while depressing music played in the background. She knew it was bad for her vocal cords but it was a great stress reliever.

"So what do we do now?" Just act like this never happened?"

"That seems silly. How about we just appreciate each other from afar, for now."

Rachel nodded in agreement. She could sense that their meeting was nearing an end.

"Before you go, can I have a hug good-bye? Just to leave me with something to remember you by?"

"Sure," Shelby replied, smiling. At that moment Shelby remembered that she had brought something for Rachel.

"But wait," Shelby said, reaching into her purse. What came out was a gold locket necklace in the shape of a heart. "This is for you. Inside this one is a picture of me. I'm wearing the other one," Shelby said, showing Rachel the necklace around her neck. "Mine has a picture of you that Jesse took and gave to me."

Rachel's eyes lit up at the fact that she would have something more to remember her mother by than a hug.

Shelby motioned for Rachel to turn around and fastened the necklace securely around her neck. She then took her by the shoulders and turned her back around.

"How about that hug?" Shelby asked while standing up.

Rachel gave her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes but wrapped her arms tightly around her anyway.

The two of them held the embrace for what seemed like an eternity. Shelby took in Rachel's peach shampoo while she took in Shelby's lavender perfume. They gripped each other tight and took note of how hard the other was holding them.

When their long embrace ended, they both stepped back awkwardly, unsure as to what to say next.

Rachel knew she was going to lose it any second now. She felt the sudden urge to run away so her mom wouldn't see her cry.

"Um, bye," Rachel said quickly. And with that, Rachel turned in the opposite direction and retreated back to her car as rapidly as her feet would travel, all the while gripping the locket Shelby gave her.

As Shelby watched Rachel leave, a small tear escaped her eye and started to fall down her cheek. But it didn't get very far before her hand wiped it away. She turned away from her daughter who was now hidden by a large tree. _Thank god that's over._

Glee

Author's Note: Ok so like I said before, I hope you guys don't hate me for writing this chapter. But please keep in mind that I do have more planned. Remember, it has to get worse before it can get better. Also, if you guys could review it would awesome and it would give me a sense of how people are following along with this. Thanks :)


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I finally updated this after sooo long. I had a huge amount of writer's block for this story. I also decided that this was going somewhere where I didn't want to. So I am re-writing everything after chapter 5.**

**So to refresh your memory, Rachel met with Shelby in the park and Shelby told Rachel that they should be grateful for each other from afar.**

**Enjoy!**

Glee

Rachel blinked back the tears as she drove down the gravelly road toward her house. Even though she was afraid of rejection, she was so hopeful that she would get a relationship with her mom. After the day she had helped her make a Gaga costume, it seemed like it could be real, like it was within her reach. But this afternoon had ruined it all.

Rachel couldn't understand why Shelby didn't want her. Was she really that horrible of a person? She knew that she was nowhere near the easiest person to like or get along with but she thought her mom wouldn't be so quick to judge. Then again, she was the coach of Vocal Adrenaline, always tough on everyone.

As Rachel arrived home she noticed that both of her dads were home. Good. She was ready to tell them everything, now that it was all over. She couldn't keep this bottled up any longer.

Passing through the threshold, Rachel smelled the sweet scent of oranges being squeezed in the kitchen. Oranges are a favorite in the Berry household.

Hearing the front open, Hiram and Leroy, as usual, greeted their daughter.

"Hey honey, how was your-"

"Rachel, baby, what's wrong?" Leroy asked, cutting off his husband, as he saw his daughter's tear-stained face.

"Not really daddy. I have to tell you the story from the beginning."

After drinking a glass of water, Rachel sat on the couch as she replayed the past week's events to her fathers. The Berry men sat on either side of their daughter, both with their arms wrapped around her. Both men grew increasingly angry as the story continued on. _How did Shelby find Rachel? She not only broke the contract but also had the nerve to hurt their baby in the process. _

"Rachel, why didn't you tell us about this when you first came into contact with her?" Leroy asked.

"It took me a while to process it. I mean, finding out that your mom is the coach of your rival school's glee club. It's hard to believe. I really did intend to tell you about this. I...just didn't know it would end up like this. And, I didn't know how to bring it up with you." Rachel answered.

There was no doubt that she absolutely loved her dads. But it would have been nice to be able to have a woman who wasn't Miss Pillsbury to talk about girl things with. If not for Google, she would be in the dark about things like her period and sex. That was a topic that her dads had completely bypassed, hoping that she was smart enough to not get into that stuff. Which she was. She wouldn't do anything to jeopardize her future. But it didn't mean that she didn't get curious.

"Oh honey," Hiram said as they both wrapped their arms around Rachel.

"Rachel," Leroy started, "I want you to stay away from Shelby. I don't want to risk you getting hurt again." He paused. "I can't believe she would contact you knowing about the contract," he said, mostly to himself.

"Wait, what contract?" Rachel asked while looking expectantly at both of her dads.

Leroy sighed while looking at his husband, telepathically asking him if they should tell Rachel. Hiram nodded.

"While Shelby was carrying you, we could see that she was getting attached to you. she would play music for you –show tunes, no wonder you're so energetic- and talk to you all the time. And that scared us," he motioned to himself and Hiram. "We didn't want to risk the chance that she would change her mind and want to keep you. So we cut off all ties. We made sure she couldn't do that. We know how selfish that is but we wanted you all to ourselves."

Rachel just stared at her fathers. She could've had the chance of knowing her mother a long time ago. On a level, she felt a little resentment towards her dads. Forcing Shelby to stay away just seemed mean to Rachel. But at the same time, she could understand her fathers' reasoning. Of course they wanted her all to themselves; it was _their_ family. Shelby was only there to help them have the baby. She wasn't supposed to get attached. She was only the surrogate. After she did her job she was supposed to make a name for herself in New York.

But still, Rachel couldn't push away the fact that she had lived nine months in Shelby. They look exactly alike. It's where she got half of her genes. It's where she got her voice, which was completely evident to anyone who has ever heard Hiram or Leroy sing.

After a couple minutes of silence and going through thoughts, Rachel stood up from the couch.

"I'm going to go up to my room. I just need some space and time to think."

The two men exchanged a glance but sent the teenager on her way.

"Just remember that we're here id you need to talk, ok?" Leroy asked.

Rachel nodded and gave each of them a kiss on the cheek before she made her way up the stairs and into her room.

As soon as Rachel made it to her bedroom, she changed into one of her baggy choir t-shirts from past years and a pair of McKinley gym shorts. After flopping down on the bed, she grabbed one of her pillows and snuggled it in her arms. Next, she reached for Dog, her stuffed animal dog that she had had for as long as she could remember, and put him on her arms so she could snuggle him as well. Since she had gotten him when she very young, she couldn't think of a name, so he has remained "Dog", ever since.

As she lay in silence, she stared at her pink wall. After a while, Rachel realized that she had been rubbing the gold locket around her neck with her fingers. She was so tempted to open it and look at the picture of her mother but that would only reassure her of the fact that nothing would change.

Glee

Wipe the counter. Wipe the table. Dust the TV stand. Sweep the floor. Oh- missed a spot, have to go back.

As soon as Shelby got home she busied herself by cleaning her entire house. If you ask anyone who knows her- friends, parents, even old teachers- they will tell you that Shelby Corcoran has never been one to clean. In fact, she hates cleaning. You would think that being such a workaholic, she wouldn't mind cleaning as much. But, no.

The only thing that keeps Shelby dusting and polishing now is the constant need to not think of the horrible afternoon she's had. Every time she goes through something that threatens to knock down the emotional walls she's put up, instead of dwelling on whatever happened, her house becomes sparkly clean. In addition, she becomes more guarded, putting up more walls. When her sister was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer three years ago, every bathroom in her house was scrubbed clean from top to bottom and Vocal Adrenaline practices were held until seven o'clock. Last year when she found out her boyfriend of six months was married, every spot in the living room was dusted and wiped. Thoroughly. You couldn't see a spec of dust **anywhere**. And Vocal Adrenaline practices were held until nine o'clock.

But this time it was different. This time, she was the cause of her own heartache. Yes, she still would have had to go through her Rachel's dads if she were planning to have any relationship with Rachel, but it was her who came to Rachel to say goodbye.

Glee

Rachel awoke from a deep sleep the next morning as the sunlight streamed in through her blinds. She had a slight pain in her neck from the way she had been laying. She also found that Dog had slipped from her clutches and fallen off the bed during the night.

Rachel remembered everything that had happened the day before, especially since she was curled up on the fetal position, which she only did when she was upset. Despite all of the previous day's misfortunes, she decided that she was not going to let it affect her day. Today is a new day. No more crying. No more feeling miserable. However, she realized that she could probably use this memory to call up the tears for some future acting job.

So, determined to make this a better day, Rachel her hot pink iPod into her stereo and turned on Put on a Happy Face.

After washing up in the bathroom, the next stop was the closet. Rachel decided on a yellow shirt with Hibiscus flowers that she had gotten in Hawaii three years ago and a pair of jean shorts. She figured she would want to be comfortable today so a skirt would be a no.

As Rachel fluttered down the stairs she was greeted by her dads and once again, the sweet smell of freshly squeezed orange juice. Ah, orange juice in the morning.

"Hey honey," Leroy greeted his daughter as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Hey daddy," Rachel greeted back before kissing her father on the cheek and then crossing the room to the table to give her other father a kiss on the cheek as well.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Hiram said, exchanging a kiss.

"Morning daddy."

"How're you feeling?" Hiram asked.

"I'm great," Rachel answered.

Both men eyed their daughter to see if they could detect any break in her expression that would tell them that she wasn't telling the truth. They knew that she always liked to please them. But they don't see anything. Either she really is telling the truth or she has a solid poker face.

"Are you sure? With everything that happened yesterday?"

"Yes, I'm sure. While I was initially upset at the way Shelby searched me out just to leave me, I realize that nothing can change. So it does no good to wallow in pity and self doubt."

Both of the men then enveloped their daughter in a tight hug, making her seem smaller than she already is.

"Ok, honey. As long as you say so. But remember we're her if you need to tell us anything," Leroy said.

"Ok got it. But you really need to stop suffocating me because I won't be able to make it to school on time," Rachel stated.

Still, the two men lingered in their position for a few more moments before moving to let their daughter breathe again.

After saying goodbye to her dads, she grabbed her bag and keys and made her way to the door. But she stopped midway, remembering something.

Turning back to her fathers, she says, "Promise me something. Promise me that nothing will happen to Shelby. I know that she broke the contract and all of us are upset with her right now but I don't want her to get in trouble. She made a mistake but its behind us now."

Hiram and Leroy exchanged glances, hesitant to agree with Rachel. But their daughter was right. Even if Shelby did get in trouble, nothing good would come of it.

"You're right, Rachel. We'll just put this behind us."

"You promise?" Rachel asked.

"Promise."

"Oh, thank you! You guys are the best."

"We know," both men said in unison.

The group chuckled before sending Rachel on her way.

She was ready to start the day with all the thoughts of Shelby pushed aside. But she made sure she was wearing that gold necklace.

Glee

**AN: So did you like it? Please review and tell me what you thought :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: So here's chapter 7. By the way, there is no longer going to be any St. Berry. I realized that it wasn't gonna work out with the other things I planned. There may be a bit of friendship in there somewhere, but we'll see how it all plays out. Anyway, enjoy!**

Glee

For the next two days both Shelby and Rachel tried their hardest to keep the other out of their mind. It was just easier if they forgot, like it didn't happen. And they did this very well actually, for the most part.

For Shelby it was easy, being a workaholic. After long hours of teaching and a seemingly never ending to-do list for Vocal Adrenaline, she didn't have any energy to think about anything else. Some nights, she would even stay up into the early hours brainstorming ideas for the team, it was unreasonable and probably unhealthy, she realized, but that's how you win three consecutive national titles. And Shelby liked to win. It was also easier for her because she had had plenty of practice at being closed off from certain emotions so the feeling wasn't foreign to her.

It wasn't as easy for Rachel. She could get through school fine by plastering a fake smile on. Although, that didn't matter because she could count the number of people who would notice any change in her on one hand.

Glee was fine too because any bottled up emotions she'd had up until then, she could let out while she was singing. Yes, she was more expressive than usual, what with the floodgates being opened more often, but no one really seemed to notice because she was always dramatic.

Rachel's dads were the only ones that saw a change in their daughter's demeanor. She was polite, like she always is, and she was always smiling. However, the sparkles in her eyes were missing. She wasn't smizing, as Tyra often said, like she usually is. But they figured it was to be expected. So they let it go, concluding that she will get over it in a couple of days.

The hardest thing for Rachel was listening to the tape Shelby made her. She realized she was playing with fire but she couldn't resist; her mother's voice was just too beautiful. Every time Rachel listened to the tape she cried; the words, so filled with passion, she felt she could be touched by them. _At some point Shelby felt this way about me. What couldn't her feelings stay this way? _Rachel's pent up neuroses were flying full speed around in her head and she couldn't stop them.

Glee

"Don't stop me! Oh yeah!"

Shelby looked on at all of her students on stage. Their clothes were soaking wet and she could see the sweat dripping off their chins. However each student still wore their over-enthusiastic show face and were like statues in their ending poses. They looked to her, hoping she would grant them her praises.

It was times like this when she loved coaching a show choir group and she thought her team was the best there could be. She, as well as they, knew she was a hard ass, which was a big contributor as to why they worked themselves so hard. She instilled the discipline into them. But she could see the passion in their eyes and knew that they also worked themselves so hard because they wanted it so bad. And this is why she loved coaching show choir more than her regular classes. The kids here have so much passion and drive, a need to perform. She liked to think that she was cultivating stars in the making.

Shelby came out of her thoughts and focused her attention on her students, gasping for air, in front of her.

"Good job guys! You can come out now."

As soon as she had said the word, the students moved from their spots, breathing more heavily now.

"Keep moving guys, don't sit down. And don't slouch over. It's harder to breath and it makes it easier for your heart to have spasms. Catch your breath and I'll talk to you in a few minutes." she said and they followed her instructions.

Shelby knew her kids wanted nothing more than to sit and rest their fatigued bodies but she also knew that it would be worse to sit before they waited a couple minutes.

Five minutes later, Shelby instructed all of her students to sit on the edge of the stage so she could talk to them.

"Guys, that was excellent. This number has improved tremendously. And because of all you're hard work, it's time, yet again, for our annual…wait for it," the students leaned closer, "funkification," Shelby finished. The corners of her mouth twitched up as she heard the collective 'oohs 'and 'yeahs' coming from her students.

"And this year's funkification recipient-"

"McKinley!" Jared, a handsome guy with a Bieber cut, called out before Shelby could say it.

"Yes, tomorrow morning you guys will go to McKinley and show them what you've got."

Jesse eyed his teammates and then Shelby. It seemed like everyone, including Shelby, had forgotten that Rachel, their coach's long lost daughter, goes to McKinley. _Well, not everyone knows what went on between the two so I guess they could react that way. But Shelby?_

"Ok guys, you worked really hard tonight so go home and get some rest and be ready for tomorrow."

Jesse waited until all of his team members had left the auditorium before he made his way up to Shelby's desk. He stayed silent for a few seconds.

Shelby was packing her numerous notes into her bag as she felt someone walk up next to her desk. She didn't have to look up to see who it was.

"Jesse," she said.

"Are you okay with us going to McKinley?" Jesse asked, deciding not to beat around the bush.

"Yes, Jesse," she said, not looking up. "You know, as well as I and the rest of the team, that New Directions is our biggest competition this year."

"Yeah, but Rach-"

"She's not the only one on the team," Shelby cut him off, looking up. "Look, I know my relationship with Rachel is basically nonexistent. But I can't do my job if I have to tip toe around her."

"What happened between you guys?"

Shelby paused and sighed. There was really no point in withholding the information from him. He knew so much already. She motioned for him to walk with her out of the auditorium, and he followed.

"I realized that I was being selfish and that she already had two parents that love her more than anything. We would never have anything like that. It's too late for that. I know I should feel horrible about how I left her but I know that she has everything she could want with her dads. I realized it too late and I'm sorry that I had to put her through that. But the thing I feel horrible about the most is that we can't have the relationship I imagined," Shelby said as she reached her car.

Jesse stopped, faced Shelby, and grabbed her free hand. This action and Shelby's unfazed reaction would seem slightly bizarre if not for the close relationship the two have.

"Shelby, you don't have to be a mother figure towards her. You can start off as just friends and in time she may see you as her mom. Even if the 'mom' title doesn't come, you'll still be able to spend time with her. It doesn't matter that you missed her life in the past. It's what you make of the time now that you have found her that matters."

Shelby looked into Jesse's brown eyes, full of youth but yet so wise. She wondered when her student got to be so thoughtful. _He's right. But…I already left Rachel._

"When did you get so good at giving advice? Look, this is the second time I've told her that it can't work out, and as much as I would love to have some sort of relationship with her, I can't keep coming in and out of her life. I don't want to ruin it any more than I already have."

"But-"

"Jess, I have to get home and so do you. You've got to be up early tomorrow and it's getting late."

"Shel-"

"Goodnight Jesse," Shelby said as she waved goodbye to Jesse and walked around to the driver's side of her car.

"I was trying to be profound and deep, you know," Jesse shouted to his coach, visibly vexed that he could say no more on the subject.

"And you were. Now go home," Shelby shouted back, before climbing into her black range rover.

Shelby waited until Jesse left the school parking lot before she too backed out. She was extremely ready to go to bed.

Glee

Rachel laid flat on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She was feeling comfy in her Wicked t-shirt and sweat pants. It was only 9:10 but her dads had already gone to bed since they had to be out of the house early tomorrow morning.

Rachel tried extremely hard not to think about Shelby. But now that she had met her, it seemed like the fact that she grew up without a mom was being rubbed in her face. On days when she walked home from school, she would pass the park and see little girls being pushed on the swings by their mothers. Or she would see little girls being held and comforted by their mother after they hurt themselves while playing. All of this happened before, of course, but it seemed to jump out at her so much more, like every missed memory with her own mother was being magnified.

Glee

**AN: So that's chapter 7. I hope you liked it! Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought. Let's aim for 4 for this chapter? Thanks :)**


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: Well, it seems I have an excuse for every chapter I put up late. And it's the same time: writer's block and no muse. But I won't keep you any longer. Chapter 8, enjoy!

Glee

Finn walked through the halls of McKinley sporting his leather football jacket, which instantly boosted his confidence levels as well as increased the number of glances that flashed in his direction.

Being one of the leaders of New Directions, Finn didn't like to admit that he probably liked wearing his football jacket more than he was supposed to. He loved playing football but he also acknowledged that it granted you social status. Playing football made you cool and when you wore the jacket people recognized you as a football player. Which, in turn, vastly allowed your cool points to elevate in people's minds. You gained respect when you were a part of a popular sports team, whether or not you were good.

He knew that everyone in the Glee club did what they loved, despite what others said or did. And he tried to do the same. As long as he was in the choir room or on stage he was fine. But when it came time to walk out of Glee club he found himself distancing himself from the rest of the group. He knew it was wrong but he couldn't stand the looks passing classmates gave him. The rest of the glee club had learned to hold their head high when walking down the halls. Why couldn't he? He's captain of the football team, has fairly good looks, and has pretty good friends. If people wanted to give him strange looks, so be it. He knew he shouldn't care. So why did it still bother him to be around the Glee club? He even tried to justify his feelings. _The rest of the club doesn't have any idea of what I'm going through. They've been at the bottom of the food chain their entire life. And its great that they're coming to terms with that fact. But I've been at the top my whole life. They don't know what its like to have such a carefully crafted reputation constantly threatened to be ripped out from under their feet. They don't know. _On some level Finn knew that it was shallow to come up with a reason to absolve his actions in public towards the Glee club. But on another level, one closer to the surface, he needed that justification there to get through the day without a freezing slushie being thrown in his face.

So he debated whether or not he should say hi to Rachel as he passed her locker this morning. As he, and practically everyone knew, Rachel was on one of the lowest levels of the social food chain. _I could just stare at the ground when I walk by here. Like I didn't even notice she was there. _Finn was about to follow through on his plan but hesitated as he took a second glance at Rachel. Her shoulders were slightly slumped and it didn't appear as though various songs were racing throughout her head, like normally. Seeing this as a sign of something gone askew, he made his way over to her locker, despite his feelings about interacting with Glee members in public. He wasn't a total jerk.

"Hey Rach," Finn greeted the petit brunette.

"Hey Finn," Rachel replied, not taking her eyes off her books she was retrieving from her locker. Her gloomy disposition shone through.

"Are you ok Rach? You don't seem quite like yourself," he said, taking note of her less than sunny demeanor.

"Just peachy Finn. Everything's just awesome," Rachel snapped, finally looking at him. _How would he know anything's wrong? He's said two words to me in days. _Noticing his furrowed brow, she sighed. "I'm sorry, Finn. I didn't mean to freak out on you like that. Things have just been hard and I've been a little edgy lately."

Finn took Rachel's free hand in his, surprising them both, and looked into her eyes.

"Rach, you know you can talk to me about anything right?"

Rachel squeezed his hand, grateful that someone cared. But at the same time she had no intention of filling Finn in on her situation. For one, he wasn't like Jesse where she felt close enough to him that she thought it would be fair to spill the details of what had occurred between her and Shelby. And two, she really didn't feel like re-visiting the painful memories.

She smiled. "Thanks Finn, but-"

"Guys, you have to come to the auditorium now," Mercedes interrupted, suddenly appearing beside the two, causing both of them to avert their eyes to the frantic girl in front of them.

"What? Why?" Rachel asked.

"Just come on," Mercedes replied, exasperated. "You'll see when we get there."

As the two followed Mercedes in tow, Rachel couldn't help but feel grateful for Mercedes' incredible timing. She really didn't want to explain to Finn that she didn't want to talk about anything right now, especially since she knew he would push he to talk about it.

The moment the three arrived in the auditorium, they mimicked the other 9 members of New Directions; wide-eyed and mouths gaping. Inside _their_ auditorium _their _stage was Vocal Adrenaline.

Just then, Rachel's face crumbled slightly when she saw none other than Jesse St. James right smack dab in the middle, center stage.

"Jesse? What are you doing up there with all of them?" Rachel asked incredulously.

"I've transferred back to Carmel High Rachel," Jesse said with a smug expression fixed on his face. "I'm sorry that it's come to this but you guys were awful to me. You never listened to my clearly superior ideas."

"Why here, in our auditorium?" Finn asked.

"The blogs and chat rooms say we're finished and that you guys are ripe to topple us. We just wanted to show you a little something that we came up with a few days ago to see if you agree with that assessment."

New directions looked on in disbelief at Vocal Adrenaline performing on their stage.

_I can't believe Jesse would do this to me…their choreography is incredible. Everything is clean and polished right down to the fingertips, _Rachel thought.

_Wow, I wish I could dance like that, _Finn thought.

_That red head chick is hot. No, stop it Puck!_

By the time Vocal Adrenaline got into the ending poses, Rachel was fuming; so much so that she missed Jesse's face soften as he looked back at her before he turned to join his team.

Walking down the hall with the rest of New Directions, Rachel found herself unable to focus on what her team members were saying. He mind was son Jesse. She couldn't understand why he had left McKinley. She knew that the team wasn't at all kind to him but he didn't transfer school for them. He came for her. When he transferred, for the sake of the team, they both agreed not to be together officially until after Regionals so they could really prove that their relationship was not going to get in the way of New Direction's success. Rachel was really looking forward to that time so she would be able to spend more time with him than she already does. But all hopes were dashed when he jumped ship back to Vocal Adrenaline.

The group was nearing the choir room when Artie was informing everybody that Vocal Adrenaline's funkification was an annual tradition.

"At least they think we're worth the trouble of being funkified. We just have to pay no mind to it and keep working just as ha-" Kurt's voice stalled as he entered the choir room, the rest of the team trailing behind him.

Once again, New Directions found themselves gaping in disbelief. Their entire choir room was covered in toilet paper. Some stringing in tight waves across the ceiling, some making long droopy drapes almost coming in contact with the floor.

Glee

"Guys, the leeward side of a mountain is the side that faces away from the mountain. So in this case it would be a desert. I know we've gone over this. I don't know how you guys expect to make it in college if you can't manage to remember such simple things," Mr. Barber ranted.

The students just looked around to their classmates, stifling laughter. The entire class knew that they had never gone over what Mr. Barber was explaining but they knew they wouldn't argue the point with him, for he would no doubt lose his cool.

Rachel huffed a loud sigh out of boredom and looked at the clock. Only 15 more minutes. _Yes._ She once again found herself bored to tears in her most boring class, human geography. She already finished her work for this class, had no work to complete for her other classes, and had forgotten her novel at home that she was half way through.

Suddenly, she felt the vibration of her phone in her back pocket and was relieved that someone was texting her to bring her out of her boredom. Tactfully, she pulled her phone out of her pocket and slid back in her chair a bit. Then she hid the phone by putting it under the jacket that was resting on her lap, but hiding her hands underneath as well so she could text subtly. Her sleuthy methods didn't really matter since Mr. Barber barely ever turns around to watch the class, but she figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

As Rachel looked at the screen she saw that it was a text from Jesse. It read: "Hey Rach. Meet me in the parking lot after school?"

Rachel couldn't help but smile to herself at Jesse's text. She knew she was supposed to be angry with him but she figured he would explain why he left New Directions and answer all her questions.

She texted him back, "Yes. And you'll explain to me all about this morning?"

"Yes. See you later," was his response.

"She'll be here," Jesse said as he turned back to his teammates. He felt his stomach cringe as he watched smirks appear on all of their faces.

Glee

As the final bell sounded through the school, Rachel wasted no time on getting to the parking lot. This is just what she needed. Spending time with someone she knew would make her feel better. After feeling down in the dumps for the past dew days it was nice to know that she would be with someone who truly understood her.

As she rounded a row of cars she immediately spotted Jesse, still wearing his navy blue costume that he wore this morning when her performed. When he waved to her she couldn't help smiling and ran to him in order to get there faster. It was only when she saw his expression of joy morph into one of uncertainty, she stopped a few feet before him.

She then heard the crack of an eggshell collide with the back of her head. And then another. And another in her hair. She felt the slimy goo drip down her neck, her hands, even into the soles of her shoes, making her skin crawl. She was so horrified to see that a quarter of Vocal Adrenaline was basically attacking her with eggs. _Eggs, of all things! Jesse must've told them. _She couldn't move from her spot. Her feet were frozen to the pavement. But what made her even more disgusted was that Jesse just stood there, watching the whole scene play out. No intervening, no protecting. Nothing. Rachel stared into his eyes, mentally asking him how he could even fathom doing this to her.

That's when she noticed that all firing had stopped.

"C'mon Jesse, do it. You're either with us or not," Andrea said.

After a few moments of hesitation Jesse strode to where Rachel stood, egg shell and yolk dripping down her clothing, egg clasped in his hand.

"Do it. Break it like you broke my heart."

Jesse winced at Rachel's words. But only very briefly, and recovered without leaving any trace of it on his features.

"I loved you," Jesse replied right before he cracked the egg on Rachel's forehead. He watched for a moment as the yolk began to trickle down her face. Then he turned back to his teammates to see their smiling faces. he was given pats on the back and high-fives before they made their way back to their respective SUVs.

Rachel was left dumbfounded in the middle of the parking lot with egg contents splattered all over her.

Glee

Will tapped his fingers impatiently against his desk as he waited for her to pick up the phone. Finally, on the fourth ring she answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Shelby, we have a problem."

Author's note: So that was chapter 8. I hope you liked it, even though it didn't end so well. Anyway, tell me what you thought of it. Please review. How about 5 this time? Thanks :)


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